The momentous day in city history lacked the high drama of last week’s City Council hearing in which Filner agreed to resign. There was no fiery speech from the departing mayor, who was nowhere to be seen Friday. There was no formal ceremony to anoint Council President Todd Gloria as interim mayor.

Councilman Todd Gloria is interviewed Friday afternoon before taking over as the interim mayor of San Diego.— Howard Lipin

Councilman Todd Gloria is interviewed Friday afternoon before taking over as the interim mayor of San Diego.
— Howard Lipin

The clock struck 5 and Filner was done.

Gloria, who took over mayoral duties ahead of a Nov. 19 special election to replace Filner, moves into the Mayor’s Office with the promise of taking swift action on a variety of issues that have languished under the Filner administration.

“We’re going to be moving forward and doing it aggressively because we’re having to make up for lost time,” Gloria said in an interview. “We’ve been moving backward and that ends today.”

Filner remained out of the spotlight this week although he was at City Hall every day. He also retained full authority as mayor in his final days as evidenced by one of his final acts.

Filner issued a “Stop Use” order Thursday on a Jack in the Box restaurant being rebuilt in North Park. It said the order can only be rescinded by the “duly elected mayor.” Neighbors of the project have objected to the inclusion of a drive-through lane at the remodeled restaurant because it violates zoning codes.

Gloria immediately rescinded the order, which he called a "symbolic" act by Filner. Gloria said in a statement that the Filner administration had approved the permit for the remodel and the former mayor’s recent action “was contradictory and exposed the City of San Diego to liability.”

Earlier, the Filner administration paid the city $975 for his personal charges on a city credit card account.

Also, at least a handful of Filner aides, including Chief of Staff Lee Burdick, were informed they would no longer have jobs when Gloria took over.

Filner’s resignation closes a tumultuous chapter in city politics that began seven weeks ago when three political allies, including former City Councilwoman Donna Frye, went public with anonymous allegations that Filner sexually harassed several women. Filner responded with a vague public apology and then all but dared the women to come forward.

That led to almost daily developments as nearly 20 women — from a Navy rear admiral to a university dean — went public with stories of Filner’s unwanted advances that included slobbery kisses, butt-grabbing, breast-touching and derogatory comments. Rallies for and against Filner became a regular occurrence outside City Hall and a recall effort collected more than 40,000 signatures in less than a week.

“I think the lesson learned is that we have some incredibly brave and courageous women in San Diego who can be an inspiration for us all,” said Lani Lutar, former head of the San Diego County Taxpayers Association now working with the environmental issue think tank group Equinox. “The lesson going forward is that integrity in the Mayor’s Office is critical for the city’s future.”